School of Arts

Dr Threasa Meads

Position: Lecturer
Study area: Humanities and Social Sciences
Location: Gippsland Campus, Room 1E-127
Phone: 5122 6320
Email: t.meads@federation.edu.au

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy (Creative Writing) - Flinders University - 2015

Bachelor of Creative Industries (Honours I) (Creative Writing) - Queensland University of Technology - 2007

Certificate III Community Services - Swinburne University of Technology - 1998

Teaching

Programs

  • Bachelor of Arts (Writing)
  • Undergraduate Certificate in Creative and Professional Writing

Courses

  • Writing Stories (BAWRT1001, HENAA1003/1113)
  • Introduction to Professional Writing (BAWRT1002, HENAA0004/1002/1004/1114)
  • Writing Creative Nonfiction (BAWRT2002/3002)
  • Digital Writing (BAWRT2004/3004))
  • BA Major Project (BACAP3100)

Biography

Dr Threasa Meads is a neurodivergent writer, artist and academic who has been working in the School of Arts at Federation University Australia since the start of 2017. She is the author of two liminal autobiographies, Nobody, which was shortlisted for The Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award in 2008 and awarded a Varuna Fellowship in 2009, and Mothsong (Rare Bird Books). In 2012, she was emerging writer in residence at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre. Her writing crosses genres and has also been published in national and international journals including Cordite, Still Point Arts Quarterly, LiNQ, Double Dialogues, and TEXT.

Areas of expertise

With research expertise in creative writing, particularly fiction, creative nonfiction, trauma, and hybrid writing, Dr Meads’ writing has a specific focus on life writing, the lyric essay, and feminist magical realism. Threasa’s research is driven by her passion for social justice, nurturing creative talent and inspiring excellence in creative and cultural production.

Research interests

  • Life writing/narrative across various media
  • New media
  • Disability discourse
  • Neurodivergence
  • Creative nonfiction
  • Feminist texts
  • Narratology
  • Hybrid/experimental works
  • Magical realism
  • Practice-led and transpersonal research methodologies/methods

Supervision

Current

  • Jordyn Presley (Federation)‘Strange Magic at Home: trauma, hauntings and time slippage in magical realist and urban fantasy literature.’ Principal Supervisor. PhD.
  • Julie Sharp (Federation) ‘A Language of Fantasy: A Stylistic Analysis of Secondary World-Building.’ Associate Supervisor. PhD.

Completed

  • Lynda McCrae (Federation) ‘Engaging young people in out-of-home care in the decision-making processes affecting their lives. A Participatory Action Research study of out-of-home care worker perspectives in Inner Gippsland.’ (2020) Associate Supervisor. PhD.
  • Kirstyn McDermott (Federation) ‘Never Afters: Female Friendship and Collaboration in Contemporary Re-visioned Fairy Tales by Women’ (2020). Associate Supervisor. PhD.
  • Sharyn Kaesehagen (Flinders) ‘Trauma Flow and Resilience in Knit Lit’ (2018) Associate Supervisor. PhD.

Publications

Books

Meads, T (2016) Nobody: A Liminal Autobiography. USA: Rare Bird Books, A Vireo Book.

Meads, T (2016) Mothsong: A Liminal Autobiography. USA: Rare Bird Books, A Vireo Book.

Refereed journal articles

Meads, T (2020) ‘Intersections of Therapy and Aesthetics: Ekphrasis, Magic Realism, and Healing Child Abuse in Contemporary Autobiography.’ In/Stead Retrospective. Double Dialogues.

Meads, T (2019) ‘Liminal interventions in the regional creative writing classroom.’ TEXT Special Issue 54: Writing and Researching (in) the Regions April [http://www.textjournal.com.au/speciss/issue54/Meads.pdf]

Meads, T (2017) ‘We might as well call it a boat.’ TEXT Special Issue 39: The Essay, April [http://www.textjournal.com.au/speciss/issue39/Meads.pdf]

Other research details

Meads, T (2020) ‘Net Carries Water.’ Lyric essay in Cordite Poetry Review. May [http://cordite.org.au/essays/net-carries-water/]

Meads, T (2015) Folded in on yourself in this way you become: A liminal-autobiographical map of healing from child abuse. PhD. Flinders University.

Associations

  • Member, Baw Baw Writers’ Network
  • Member, Women’s Life Writing Network
  • Member, IABA (International Auto/Biography Association)
  • Member, IABA Asia-Pacific Chapter
  • Member, Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP)